NCSE Evolution Education Update for 2010/06/04
Submitted by Peter Burns on Fri, 2010-06-04 15:15.
National Center for Science Education
(by NCSE Deputy Director Glenn Branch)
Dear Friends of NCSE, Two antievolution bills in the South Carolina legislature are dead; a new survey suggests that a quarter of Americans don't agree that the universe is about 13.7 billion years old; and NCSE's Joshua Rosenau reviews a book for the Washington Post
ANTIEVOLUTION BILLS DIE IN SOUTH CAROLINA Two antievolution bills, Senate Bill 873 and Senate Bill 875, died in committee when the South Carolina legislature adjourned on June 3, 2010. Both bills were introduced on May 21, 2009, and referred to the Senate Education Committee, where they apparently never received a hearing. Both bills were sponsored by Senator Michael Fair (R-District 6), who spearheaded a number of previous antievolution efforts in South Carolina. With respect to his 2003 attempt to establish a committee to "determine whether alternatives to evolution as the origin of species should be offered in schools," the Greenville News (May 1, 2003) reported that Fair "said his intention is to show that Intelligent Design is a viable scientific alternative that should be taught in the public schools." A version of the "academic freedom" antievolution bill, S. 875 provided, "Teachers must be permitted to help students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course. ... School governing authorities including, but not limited to, school and district superintendents, principals, and administrators, may not prohibit a teacher in a public school in this State from helping students understand, analyze, critique, and review in an objective manner the scientific strengths and weaknesses of existing scientific theories pertinent to the course." Since 2004, thirty-two "academic freedom" antievolution bills have been introduced; all but one, Louisiana's SB 561/733, failed to pass. S. 873, however, was apparently unique. If enacted, it would have required the state board of education to "examine all curriculum in use in this State that purports to teach students about the origins of mankind to determine whether the curriculum maintains neutrality toward religion." The bill further provided, "Related to non-religion, the examination must include a review as to whether the curriculum contains a sense of affirmatively opposing or showing hostility to religion, thus preferring those who believe in no religion over those who hold religious beliefs." If the review revealed that a curriculum is not religiously neutral, then the bill would have required that "the offending curriculum must be revised or replaced as soon as practicable." For the text of S. 873 and S. 873, visit: http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/875.htm http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/873.htm For NCSE's coverage of Louisiana's SB 561/733, visit: http://ncse.com/news/louisiana And for NCSE's previous coverage of events in South Carolina, visit: http://ncse.com/news/south-carolina A NEW SURVEY RESULT ON THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE A new poll commissioned by Daily Kos included a question on the origin of the universe. Asked "[m]ost astronomers believe the universe formed about 13.7 billion years ago in a massive event called the Big Bang. Do you think that's about right or do [you] think the universe was created much more recently," 62% of respondents in the United States indicated their acceptance of the 13.7-billion-year figure, while 25% indicated that the universe was created much more recently, and 13% were not sure. Women were more likely than men to accept the 13.7-billion-year figure (64% versus 60%), Democrats more likely than independents, and independents more likely than Republicans (71%, 66%, and 44%, respectively), blacks and Latinos more likely than whites (75%, 73%, and 58%, respectively), and people in the northeast, west, and midwest more likely than people in the south (72%, 69%, 64%, and 48%, respectively). Younger respondents were more likely to accept it than older respondents. According to the methodology section of the report, "[t]he Daily Kos weekly National Poll was conducted by Research 2000 May 24 through May 27, 2010. A total of 1200 registered voters nationally were interviewed by telephone. A cross-section of calls was made into each state in the country in order to reflect the registered voting population nationally. The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 2.8% percentage points." For the report, visit: http://www.dailykos.com/statepoll/2010/5/27/US/535 And for NCSE's collection of materials on polls and surveys, visit: http://ncse.com/creationism/polls-surveys NCSE'S ROSENAU IN THE WASHINGTON POST NCSE's Joshua Rosenau reviewed Elaine Howard Ecklund's Science vs. Religion: What Scientists Really Think (Oxford University Press, 2010) for the Washington Post (May 30, 2010). "Americans are almost evenly divided between those who feel science conflicts with religion and those who don't. Both sides have scientific backers," Rosenau explains. "Ecklund offers a fresh perspective on this debate ... Rather than offering another polemic, she builds on a detailed survey of almost 1,700 scientists at elite American research universities -- the most comprehensive such study to date." He concludes, "For Ecklund, the bottom line is recognizing and tolerating religious diversity, honestly discussing science's scope and limits, and openly exploring the disputed borders between scientific skepticism and religious faith." For Rosenau's review, visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052801856.html Thanks for reading! And don't forget to visit NCSE's website -- http://ncse.com -- where you can always find the latest news on evolution education and threats to it. -- Sincerely, Glenn Branch Deputy Director National Center for Science Education, Inc. 420 40th Street, Suite 2 Oakland, CA 94609-2509 510-601-7203 x310 fax: 510-601-7204 800-290-6006 branch@ncse.com http://ncse.com Subscribe to NCSE's free weekly e-newsletter: http://groups.google.com/group/ncse-news NCSE is on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter: http://www.facebook.com/evolution.ncse http://www.youtube.com/NatCen4ScienceEd http://twitter.com/ncse NCSE's work is supported by its members. Join today! http://ncse.com/membership
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